Removable component for a consumable with identifying graphic

ABSTRACT

A removable component for dispensing a physical resource from a dispensing system may include a body defining a reservoir in which a physical resource may be stored, a graphic provided on the removable component having information, and a composite structure formed by the patterned graphic, the body, and the reservoir.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/849,859, filed Mar. 25, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/653,473, filed Oct. 17, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,496,187, issued Jul. 30, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/890,889, filed Sep. 27, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.8,393,548, issued Mar. 12, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

A physical resource consuming apparatus, non-limiting examples of whichinclude a refrigerator, a laundry treating appliance, a dishwasher and abeverage dispenser, is an apparatus that consumes at least a portion ofa physical resource in the course of performing a cycle of operation.Non-limiting examples of a physical resource include water, a treatingchemistry, a fragrance, a flavoring. The physical resource consumingapparatus may have a controller that implements a number ofpre-programmed cycles of operation. Information related to one or moreproperties of the physical resource may be used by the physical resourceconsuming apparatus in determining how to use a physical resource duringone of the pre-programmed cycles of information. The information may becommunicated by a user to the physical resource consuming apparatusmanually or, alternatively, the information may be determinedautomatically by the physical resource consuming apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, a removable component fordispensing a physical resource from a dispensing system comprises a bodydefining a reservoir in which a physical resource may be stored, agraphic provided on the removable component and a composite structureformed by the graphic, body and reservoir and having optically encodedpatterns at first and second depths in the composite structure, with thesecond depth being different than the first depth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a physical resource consuming apparatusaccording to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a physical resource consuming apparatus inthe form of a laundry treating appliance according to a secondembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a physical resource consuming system and acontrol system of the laundry treating appliance according to the secondembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a physical resource storagecontainer according to a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a composite for use in a physicalresource consuming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for determining a presenceand/or a characteristic of a physical resource according to a fifthembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for illuminating acomposite according to a sixth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of illumination and reflectance froma composite according to a seventh embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for illuminating acomposite according to an eighth embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a physical resource consuming apparatus 10 in theform of a laundry treating appliance according to a first embodiment ofthe invention. Non-limiting examples of a laundry treating applianceinclude a horizontal or vertical axis clothes washer or clothes dryer; acombination washing machine and dryer; a tumbling or stationaryrefreshing/revitalizing machine; an extractor; a non-aqueous washingapparatus; and a revitalizing machine. While the physical resourceconsuming apparatus 10 is illustrated in the form of a laundry treatingappliance, the physical resource consuming apparatus 10 may be anyappliance which performs a cycle of operation in which a physicalresource is consumed. Non-limiting examples of a physical resourceconsuming apparatus include a refrigerator, a dishwasher and a beveragedispenser.

The physical resource consuming apparatus 10 may include a cabinet 12having a controller 14 for controlling the operation of the physicalresource consuming apparatus 10 to complete a cycle of operation. Atreating chamber 30 may be located within the cabinet 12 for receivinglaundry to be treated during a cycle of operation.

The physical resource consuming apparatus 10 may also include a physicalresource dispensing and identification system 60 operably coupled withthe controller 14 for identifying and dispensing a physical resource tothe treating chamber 30 during a cycle of operation. The physicalresource dispensing and identification system 60 may include adispensing system 62 fluidly coupled with the treating chamber 30through a dispensing conduit 64 to dispense a physical resource to thetreating chamber 30. The physical resource may be dependent on the typeof apparatus and in the case of a laundry treating apparatus may be atreating chemistry, non-limiting examples of which include one or moreof the following: water, detergents, fragrances, stiffness/sizingagents, wrinkle releasers/reducers, softeners, antistatic orelectrostatic agents, stain repellants, water repellants, rinse aids,antibacterial agents, medicinal agents, vitamins, moisturizers, colorfidelity agents, enzymes, surfactants, bleaches, ozone, oxidizing agent,pH adjustors, and combinations thereof. The physical resource may be anytype of consumable that is consumed or partially consumed duringoperation of the physical resource consuming apparatus 10. For example,the physical resource may be a material that is stored and dispensed ora commodity which is utilized during operation of the physical resourceconsuming apparatus 10, such as electricity or water. In anotherexample, the physical resource may be storable, such as a treatingchemistry, or may allow a material to flow through, such as a waterfilter.

The physical resource consuming and identification system 60 may alsoinclude an optical reading system 70 for receiving information relatedto the physical resource, such as at least one characteristic of thephysical resource present within the dispensing system 62. Non-limitingexamples of information that may be received from by the optical readingsystem 70 include information indicative of a cycle of operation, one ormore operating parameters of a cycle of operation, an amount todispense, a time to dispense and a number of times to dispense aphysical resource, a presence or absence of a physical resource, apresence or absence of a removable component associated with thephysical resource, such as a container for storing a physical resourceand/or a filter such as a water or resource filter, a characteristicindicative of a quantity of the physical resource, examples of whichinclude the number of doses remaining, the number of doses dispensed andan amount of the physical resource, identification of the physicalresource, a property of the physical resource, e.g., the concentrationof the physical resource, and an authentication key. The information maybe in the form of optically encoded data capable of being read by theoptical reading system 70.

The physical resource may be in any suitable form such that it may beselectively dispensed by the dispensing system 62 to the treatingchamber 30 during a cycle of operation. For example, the physicalresource may be in gas, liquid, gel or solid form. Additionally, thephysical resource may be provided as a removable component which may beselectively coupled and uncoupled with the dispensing system 62. In oneexample, the removable component may be a storage container for storingthe physical component, such as a cartridge or bottle, for example, thatmay be removably and fluidly coupled with the dispensing system 62 suchthat the dispensing system 62 may dispense at least a portion of thephysical resource from the storage container during a cycle ofoperation. The removable component may have a reservoir 65 in the formof any suitable interior, such as a hollow or recess within theremovable component. The reservoir 65 may include the physical resourceor a physical resource processor that may be coupled to the physicalresource to process the physical resource. For example, the physicalresource processor may include a filter such as a water filter which maybe selectively coupled and uncoupled with the dispensing system 62 forfiltering water which flows through the water filter, or a resourcefilter which may process the physical resource such as refrigeratorwater filter. In the context of a filter, the filter may be both thephysical resource, in that it may be replaced over time, and a physicalresource processor, in that it processes the water passing through.

The controller 14 may be operably coupled with the optical readingsystem 70 to determine at least one characteristic of the physicalresource present within the dispensing system 62 and control theoperation of the physical resource consuming apparatus 10 as a functionof the information received from the optical reading system 70.Non-limiting examples of controlling the operation of the physicalresource consuming apparatus may include determining or altering one ormore of: a cycle of operation, a step of a cycle of operation, operatingparameters of a cycle of operation, an amount to dispense, a time todispense, a number of times to dispense, a presence or absence of aphysical resource, a presence or absence of a removable componentassociated with the physical resource, such as a container for storing aphysical resource and/or a filter such as a water or resource filter, acharacteristic indicative of a quantity of the physical resource,examples of which include the number of doses remaining, the number ofdoses dispensed and an amount of the physical resource remaining, anauthentication key and a characteristic indicative of a physicalproperty of the physical resource. Non-limiting examples of a physicalproperty of the physical resource include a concentration and anidentity of the physical resource.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention where thephysical resource consuming apparatus is in the form of a clothes dryer110 which is similar in structure to the physical resource consumingapparatus 10 in FIG. 1. Therefore, elements in the clothes dryer 110similar to the physical resource consuming apparatus 10 will be numberedwith the prefix 100. The clothes dryer 110 described herein shares manyfeatures of a traditional automatic clothes dryer, which will not bedescribed in detail except as necessary for a complete understanding ofthe invention.

The clothes dryer 110 of the illustrated embodiment may include acabinet 112 and a controller 114 for controlling the operation of theclothes dryer 110 to complete a cycle of operation. A door 120 may behingedly mounted to a front wall 122 and may be selectively moveablebetween opened and closed positions to close an opening in the frontwall 122, which provides access to the interior of the cabinet. Acontrol panel or user interface may be integrated with or coupled to thecontroller 114, and may include one or more knobs, switches, buttons,displays, and the like for communicating with the user, such as toreceive input and provide output.

A rotatable drum 124 may be disposed within an interior of the cabinet112 and define a treating chamber 130 for treating laundry placedtherein. The drum 124 may further optionally have one or more lifters orbaffles 132. The baffles 132 may be located along the inner surface ofthe drum 124 defining an interior circumference of the drum 124. Thebaffles 132 facilitate the tumbling action of the fabric load within thedrum 124 as the drum 124 rotates about the rotational axis.Alternatively, a textured surface may be used in place of or in additionto the baffles 132.

An air flow system 134 may be of any conventional type and is providedto draw air into and exhaust air from the treating chamber 130. Asillustrated, the air flow system has an inlet duct 136 coupled to thetreating chamber by an inlet 138 in a rear bulkhead 140 and an outletduct 142 coupled to the treating chamber 130 by a lint filter 144. Ablower 146 is provided to first draw air through the inlet duct 136,into the treating chamber 130, and to exhaust air from the treatingchamber 130 through the outlet duct 142. A heating system 147 may beprovided within the inlet duct 136 to heat the air as it passes throughon the way to the treating chamber 130.

A motor 150 may be coupled to the drum 124 through a belt 152 (or anyother means for indirect drive such as a gearbox) for selectivelyrotating the drum 124. Non-limiting examples of indirect drive motorsystems include three-phase induction motor drives, various types ofsingle phase induction motors such as a permanent split capacitor (PSC),a shaded pole and a split-phase motor. Alternately, the motor 150 may bea direct drive motor, as is known in the art. Non-limiting examples of adirect drive motor include a brushless permanent magnet (BPM or BLDC)motor, an induction motor, etc.

The clothes dryer 110 may also include a physical resource dispensingand identification system 160 operably coupled with the controller 114for determining at least one characteristic of a physical resource anddispensing the physical resource to the treating chamber 130 during acycle of operation. The physical resource dispensing and identificationsystem 160 may include a dispensing system 162 fluidly coupled with thetreating chamber 130 through a dispensing conduit 164 to dispense aphysical resource to the treating chamber 130. The dispensing conduit164 may be fluidly coupled with the treating chamber 130 in any suitablemanner. The physical resource may be a treating chemistry, non-limitingexamples of which include one or more of the following: water,detergents, fragrances, stiffness/sizing agents, wrinklereleasers/reducers, softeners, antistatic or electrostatic agents, stainrepellants, water repellants, rinse aids, antibacterial agents,medicinal agents, vitamins, moisturizers, color fidelity agents,enzymes, surfactants, bleaches, ozone, oxidizing agent, pH adjustors,and combinations thereof.

The dispensing system 162 may be configured to receive a storagecontainer 165 containing the physical resource and the storage container165 may be configured to be removably and fluidly coupled with thedispensing system 162 such that the dispensing system 162 mayselectively dispense the physical resource during a cycle of operation.Alternatively, the physical resource may be added directly into thedispensing system 162 without the use of a storage container.

Optionally, the dispensing system 162 may be fluidly coupled with awater supply source 166 through a water supply conduit 168 for supplyingwater to the dispensing system 162 and/or treating chamber 130. Theprecise physical structure of the dispensing system 162 and storagecontainer is not germane to the invention and may include additionalcomponents, such as valves, conduits, mixing chambers, dosing meters,etc, which are not necessary for a complete understanding of theinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the optical reading system 170 may include oneor more illumination sources 172 for illuminating the physical resourceand/or the physical resource container 165 and one or more detectors 174for receiving the illumination reflected and/or transmitted by thephysical resource and/or the physical resource container 165.

The optical reading system 170 may be coupled with the dispensing system160 in any suitable manner such that the optical reading system 170 iscapable of illuminating and receiving reflected illumination from thephysical resource and/or the physical resource container. Non-limitingexamples of illumination sources include an LED light, an incandescentbulb, a fluorescent bulb, an infrared light, an ultraviolet light, aXenon flash lamp, a Mercury flash lamp, a laser and combinationsthereof. Non-limiting examples of detectors include a CCD detector, aCMOS camera, a photodetector, a photodiode, an avalanche detector, anInGaAs detector, a photomultiplier tube, a silicon detector andcombinations thereof. The illumination light from the illuminationsources may include infrared, visible, ultraviolet, and other entireelectromagnetic spectrum.

The optically encoded data carried by the physical resource and/or thephysical resource container may be in the form of illumination datareflected, absorbed or transmitted from the physical resource and/or thephysical resource container when the physical resource and/or thephysical resource container is illuminated by the illumination source172. The detector 174 may be capable of reading the illumination datareceived from the physical resource and/or the physical resourcecontainer 165 for determining at least one characteristic of thephysical resource.

The illumination source 172 may be a single illumination sourceconfigured to provide illumination at least two different intensitiesand/or at least two different wavelengths. Alternatively, theillumination source 172 may be in the form of multiple illuminationsources configured to provide illumination at different intensitiesand/or different wavelengths. The light provided from the illuminationsource may be provided at a predetermined polarity, with the polarityvarying with the intensity and/or wavelength.

The controller 114 may be provided with a memory 180 and a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 182. The memory 180 may be used for storing thecontrol software comprising executable instructions that is executed bythe CPU 182 in completing one or more cycles of operation using theclothes dryer 110 and any additional software. The memory 180 may alsobe used to store information, such as a database or table, and to storedata received from one or more components of the clothes dryer 110 thatmay be communicably coupled with the controller 114. The database ortable data may be used to store the various operating parameters for theone or more cycles of operation, including factory default values forthe operating parameters and any adjustments to them by the controlsystem or by user input.

The controller 114 may be operably coupled with one or more componentsof the clothes dryer 110 for communicating with and controlling theoperation of the component to complete a cycle of operation, such assensors, actuators, valves, latches, locks, and many other components.For example, the controller 114 may be coupled with the motor 150 forcontrolling the direction and speed of rotation of the drum 124 and thedispensing system 162 for dispensing a physical resource during a cycleof operation. The controller 114 may also be coupled with the userinterface for receiving user selected inputs and communicatinginformation to the user.

The controller 114 may also receive input from one or more sensors,which are known in the art and not shown for simplicity. Non-limitingexamples of sensors that may be communicably coupled with the controller114 include: one or more temperature sensors, a moisture sensor, aweight sensor, a position sensor and a motor torque sensor.

The controller 114 may also be operably coupled with the dispensingsystem 162 and the optical reading system 170 to receive informationrelated to the physical resource and to control the operation of theclothes dryer 110 as a function of the information. The optical readingsystem 170 may receive the illumination data from the physical resourceand/or the physical resource container 165 and communicate theillumination data with the controller 114 for determining at least onecharacteristic of the physical resource. Alternatively, the opticalreading system 170 may also include a memory and a central processingunit for storing the illumination data and determining at least onecharacteristic of the physical resource. The optical reading system 170may then communicate the determination related to at least onecharacteristic of the physical resource with the controller 114 and thecontroller 114 may use the information to control the operation of theclothes dryer 110.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a physical resource 184 may be stored in thephysical resource storage container 165 for dispensing before, during orafter a cycle of operation during operation of the clothes dryer 110. Asdiscussed above, the physical resource storage container 165 may beconfigured to selectively and fluidly couple with the dispensing system162 to dispense at least a portion of the physical resource 184 for useduring operation of the clothes dryer 110. The physical resource storagecontainer 165 may further include a composite 188 having opticallyencoded information that may be read by the optical reading system 170and used by the controller 114 to determine at least one characteristicof the physical resource 184.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the composite 188 is illustrated in exaggerateddetail for the purposes of discussion only and is not meant to limit theembodiments of the invention in any manner. The elements of thecomposite 188 have not been drawn to scale and have been exaggerated forclarity for the purposes of discussion. The composite 188 may includemultiple layers which may include one or more of at least a portion ofthe physical resource 184 inside the physical resource storage container165, a graphic 190 and at least a portion of a container body 192defining the container 165 within which the physical resource 184 isstored.

While the embodiments of the invention will be described in the contextof a composite 188 including a graphic 190, a container body 192 and aphysical resource 184, it is also within the scope of the invention forthe composite 188 to include just a graphic 190 and a physical resource184. For example, when the physical resource 184 is a solid, the graphic190 may be located directly on the physical resource 184. In theembodiment in which the physical resource 184 is stored in the container165, the graphic 190 may be located generally on an outer surface 194 ofthe container body 192. It is also within the scope of the invention forthe graphic 190 to be located on an inner surface 196. Alternatively, aportion of the graphic 190 may be located on the outer surface 194 andanother portion of the graphic may be located on the inner surface 196.In another example, the graphic 190 may be integrated into the containerbody 192, such as by inset molding, for example.

Still referring to FIG. 5, the graphic 190 may include an upper portion198, a lower portion 200 opposite the upper portion 198 and adjacent tothe outer surface 194 of the container body 192, and a medial portion202 located between the upper portion 198 and the lower portion 200.Each of the upper portion 198, lower portion 200 and medial portion 202may have any thickness and may be formed from a single layer of atoms ormultiple layers of atoms. For example, the upper portion 198 may beconsidered to be a single layer of atoms on the surface of the graphic190 farthest from the container body 192. Alternatively, the upperportion 198 may be considered to be formed from multiple, adjacentlayers of atoms farthest from the container body 192. In both examples,the upper portion 198 may be considered the surface of the graphic 190while the lower portion 200 and/or the medial portion 202 may beconsidered an interior of the graphic 190. Regardless of the orientationof the container 165, the lower portion 200 is considered the portionadjacent to the cartridge body 192 and the upper portion 198 isconsidered the portion opposite the lower portion 200, farthest awayfrom the container body 192. It is also within the scope of theinvention for the upper portion 198, lower portion 200 and medialportion 202 to have the same or different thicknesses.

The graphic 190 may be formed from a single material, or alternatively,the graphic 190 may include multiple layers of material located betweenthe upper portion 198 and the lower portion 200. For example, thegraphic 190 may be formed from a single material such that the upperportion 198, lower portion 200 and medial portion 202 are defined as afunction of their relative spatial relationship to one another. Inanother example, the graphic 190 may be formed from a single type ofmaterial having one or more physical properties that differs between atleast two of the upper portion 198, lower portion 200 and medial portion202. In another example, the graphic 190 may be formed from multiplelayers of different material and the upper portion 198 would be formedfrom at least a portion of the layer farthest from the container body192 and the lower portion 200 would be formed from at least a portion ofthe layer adjacent the container body 192, with at least two of themultiple layers of material differing from one another by at least oneor more physical properties. Non-limiting examples of such physicalproperties include thickness, texture, color, refractivity,reflectivity, absorbance, transmittance, index of refraction and opticalpolarity. The medial portion 202 may be a single layer or may comprisemultiple layers disposed between the upper and lower portions 198, 200.

The graphic 190 may be coupled with the cartridge body 192 using anysuitable mechanical or non-mechanical fastener. Examples of a suitablemechanical fastener include pins and tabs. Examples of suitablenon-mechanical fasteners include adhesives, welding and ultrasonicwelding. In another example, the graphic 190 may be printed directly onthe container body 192 or the physical resource 184 using knowntechniques. In yet another example, at least a portion of the containerbody 192 may be wrapped in shrink wrap or other polymeric plastic filmand the graphic may be printed or fastened to the film. In oneembodiment of the invention, the graphic 190 may be in the form of alabel coupled with the cartridge body 192. In another embodiment, thegraphic 190 may be printed onto the container body 192 or printed onto awrapper covering at least a portion of the container body 192. Thegraphic 190 can be any type of visible and/or non-visible indicia suchas alphanumeric symbols, shapes, patterns or symbols.

The container body 192 may be formed from any suitable polymericmaterial. For example, the container body 192 may be formed frompolyethylene terephthalate, high and low density polyethylene andpolypropylene. It is also within the scope of the invention fordifferent portions of the container body 192 to be formed from differentmaterials. For example, a majority of the container body 192 may beformed from one material while the portion of the container body 192adjacent the graphic 190 may be formed from a different material havingone or more different physical properties. The container body 192 and/ora surface of the container body 192 may be formed from a material or maybe combined with a material that provides at least a portion of thecontainer body 192 with a predetermined optical characteristic foroptically encoding data related to a presence and/or characteristic ofthe physical resource. Non-limiting examples of physical properties thatcan provide a predetermined optical characteristic include color,thickness, texture, refractivity, reflectivity, absorbance,transmittance, index of refraction and optical polarity.

The composite 188 may be considered a multi-layer composite as thegraphic 190, container body 192 and physical resource 184 may each beconsidered a layer in the composite 188. In addition, each of theselayers, the graphic 190, cartridge body 192 and the physical resource184, may also include multiple layers. One or more of the layers of thecomposite 188 may be formed from a material having one or more physicalproperties such that the illumination reflected, absorbed or transmittedby the layer when illuminated by the illumination source 172 isdistinguishable by the detector 174 from the illumination reflected,absorbed or transmitted by a different layer of the composite 188 whenilluminated by the illumination source 172. Differences in reflectancedetected from one or more layers of the composite 188 when illuminatedby the illumination source 172 may be used as optically encoded datathat the controller 114 may use to determine at least one characteristicof the physical resource 184.

Any changes in the physical properties of the one or more layers of thecomposite 188 may provide different optical characteristics whenilluminated by the illumination source 172. For example, one or more ofthe layers of the composite 188 may have predetermined textures,combined with any suitable optical method, to provide predeterminedoptical characteristics when illuminated by the illumination source 172.In case predetermined textures for the one or more of the layers of thecomposite 188 is modified using, for example, any physical or chemicaltreatments, different optical characteristic from the composite 188 maybe provided when illuminated by the illumination source 172. And theillumination reflected, absorbed or transmitted by the layer after thetexture modification may be distinguishable by the detector 174 from theillumination reflected, absorbed or transmitted by the layer before thetexture modification. Physical properties concerning this invention thatwould vary due to a change in texture and would change the requiredoptical characteristics is differing degrees of specular and diffusereflectance between the different textures for light of the sameintensity with surfaces designed to have mostly specular reflectance tosurfaces having a combination of specular and diffuse reflectance tosurfaces having mostly diffuse reflectance.

Alternatively, one or more of layers in the composite 188 may reflect,absorb or transmit the light having a first predetermined polarity in adistinguishable way than the light having a second predeterminedpolarity. For example, the surface or any one or more of the layers ofthe graphic or removable component in a composite 188 may selectivelyreflect, absorb or transmit the light having a first predeterminedpolarity in a way that may be distinguished from the light having asecond predetermined polarity, where the first and the secondpredetermined polarity may vary with the intensity and/or wavelength.

The previously described physical resource consuming apparatuses 10 and110 may be used to implement one or more embodiments of a method of theinvention. Several embodiments of the method will now be described interms of the operation of the clothes dryer 110. While the methods aredescribed with respect to the clothes dryer 110, the methods may also beused with the physical resource consuming apparatus 10 of the firstembodiment of the invention. The embodiments of the method function todetermine at least one of characteristic of a physical resource in thedispensing system 162 and to control the operation of the clothes dryer110 as a function of the determination. Non-limiting examples ofcontrolling the operation of the physical resource consuming apparatusmay include determining or altering one or more of: a cycle ofoperation, a step of a cycle of operation, operating parameters of acycle of operation, an amount to dispense, a time to dispense, apresence or absence of a physical resource, a presence or absence of aremovable component associated with the physical resource, such as acontainer for storing a physical resource and/or a filter such as awater or resource filter, a number of times to dispense, acharacteristic indicative of a quantity of the physical resource,examples of which include the number of doses remaining, the number ofdoses dispensed and an amount of the physical resource remaining, and acharacteristic indicative of a physical property of the physicalresource. Non-limiting examples of a physical property of the physicalresource include a concentration and an identification of the physicalresource.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method 300 for determining at least onecharacteristic of a physical resource according to an embodiment of theinvention. The method 300 assumes that a user has placed the physicalresource 184 stored in the container 165 including the composite 188into the dispensing system 162 of the clothes dryer 110. At 302 thecontroller 114 may control the optical reading system 170 to illuminatethe composite 188 with the illumination source 172. The controller 114may control the optical reading system 170 automatically, such as whenthe presence of an item in the dispensing system 162 is detected or whena user selects an operating cycle, for example. Alternatively, theoptical reading system 170 may be initiated manually by the user.

At 304 the detector 174 of the optical reading system 170 may detect theillumination reflected by the composite 188 that was illuminated at 302.The controller 114 may then use the illumination data from the detector174 at 306 to determine at least one characteristic of the physicalresource 184. At 308, the controller 114 may use the determined at leastone characteristic of the physical resource 184 determined at 306 tocontrol the operation of the clothes dryer 110 as a function of thedetermined at least one characteristic of the physical resource. Theillumination and detection at 302 and 304 may be repeated any number oftimes to determine the one or more characteristics of the physicalresource 184 at 306.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 400 for illuminating the composite 188 anddetecting the illumination reflected by the composite 188. The method400 may be used at 302 and 304 of the method 300 illustrated in FIG. 6.Alternatively, the method 400 may be initiated independently of themethod 300.

The method starts at 402 by illuminating the composite 188 with lighthaving a first intensity. At least a portion of the first intensitylight reflected by the composite 188 may be detected by the detector 174at 404. At 406 the illumination source 172 may illuminate the composite188 with light having a second intensity, which is different than thefirst intensity. At least a portion of the second intensity lightreflected by the composite 188 may be detected by the detector 174 at408.

It is within the scope of the invention for the order of the method 400to be initiated sequentially from 402 to 404 to 406 to 408 or,alternatively, one or more elements 402, 404, 406 or 408 of the method400 may be conducted simultaneously.

The illumination source 172 may be configured to illuminate thecomposite 188 with first and second intensity light at 402 and 406 suchthat the first and second intensity lights penetrate to different layersor regions of the composite 188. The different layers of the composite188 which are intended to reflect the first and second intensity lightsmay be configured to have at least one different physical property suchthat the reflectance of the first and second intensity lights opticallyencode information related to the physical resource 184. Non-limitingexamples of such physical properties include thickness, texture, color,refractivity, reflectivity, absorbance, transmittance, index ofrefraction and optical polarity. For example, the illumination source172 may be configured such that the first intensity light penetrates andis primarily reflected by the graphic 190 while the second intensitylight penetrates and is primarily reflected by the physical resource184. The controller 114 may use the information regarding at least oneof the thickness, texture, color, refractivity, reflectance, absorbance,transmittance, wavelength (color) and intensity of the reflected lightdetected by the detector 174 when the composite 188 is illuminated bythe first and second intensity lights to determine at least onecharacteristic of the physical resource 184.

While the embodiments of the invention are described in the context oflight being reflected by a single layer of the composite 188, it isunderstood that not all of the light of a given intensity will bereflected by a single layer of the composite 188. Some of the light maybe reflected by other layers of the composite 188 and some of the lightmay be reflected and scattered by components of the composite 188 anddispensing system 162 away from the detector 174. By primarilyreflected, it is meant that the light reflected by the layer is suchthat a physical property of the layer can be identified and/ordistinguished from at least one other layer of the composite 188 as afunction of the reflected light detected by the detector 174.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the different layers of composite188 that may be illuminated by the first and second intensity lights at402 and 406 of the method 400. The different layers of the composite 188are illustrated for the purposes of discussion only and are not meant tolimit the invention in any manner, as it is understood that thecomposite 188 can be considered to have fewer, additional or differentlayers. Lines A through G illustrate the illumination of and reflectancefrom seven different layers or regions of the composite 188 that may beilluminated by the first and second intensity lights at 402 and 406 andreflected back to the detector 174 at 404 and 408. The optical readingsystem 170 may be configured to illuminate and detect the reflectancefrom any combination of first and second lights A through G. Line Aillustrates illumination of and reflectance from the upper portion 198of the graphic 190, line B illustrates illumination of and reflectancefrom the medial portion 202 of the graphic 190 and line C illustratesillumination of and reflectance from the lower portion 200 of thegraphic 190. Line D illustrates illumination of and reflectance from aregion of the composite 188 that may include the outer surface 194 ofthe cartridge body 192 and/or an interface between the container body192 and the graphic 190. Line E illustrates illumination of andreflectance from an interior of the container body 192 and line Fillustrates illumination of and reflectance from the inner surface 196of the container body 192. Alternatively, line F may illustrateillumination of and reflectance of an interface between the innersurface 196 and the physical resource 184. Line G illustratesillumination of and reflectance from the physical resource 184.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the optical reading system 170 may bepositioned relative to the container 165 such that when there isphysical resource 184 present in the container 165, there is no air gapbetween the container body 192 and a surface of the physical resource184. For example, the optical reading system 170 may be positioned alonga lower side or a bottom of the container 165. It is also within thescope of the invention that the composite 188 include some air betweenone or more of the layers of the composite 188, such as between thesurface of the physical resource 184 and the container body 192. Theoptical reading system 170 may be configured such that the illuminationis capable of being transmitted through any air gap between the layersof the composite 188 to reach the intended layer.

The illumination source 172 may be configured to illuminate any one ofthe layers of the composite 188 illustrated by lines A through G in FIG.8 with the first intensity light at 402 and any one of the other regionsillustrated by lines A through G with the second intensity light at 404.For example, the first intensity light may be light of a lower intensitythan the second intensity light. The higher intensity light may be usedto transmit light through one or more of the layers of the composite 188which are nearest the detector 174 to reach a layer that is locateddeeper within the composite 188 and farther away from the opticalreading system 170. Higher intensity light has a greater capacity totravel farther and reach regions that are farther away from the opticalreading system 170 than lower intensity light. The amount of light thatis transmitted a predetermined distance from the illumination source 172is greater the higher the intensity of light emitted from theillumination source 172. The illumination source 172 and composite 188may be configured such that higher intensity light is capable of beingtransmitted through one or more layers of the composite 188 to a layerdeeper within the composite 188 such that the optical data encoded inthe deeper layer may be reflected back to the detector 174. In thismanner, the intensity of light emitted from the illumination source 172may be varied to illuminate different layers of the composite 188 toretrieve the optically encoded data that may be contained within thedifferent layers of the composite 188.

While the method 400 is described in the context of using light ofdifferent intensities to illuminate and retrieve optically encoded datafrom different layers of the composite 188, any suitable optical methodmay be used for illuminating the different layers of the composite 188and one or more layers of the composite 188 may be configured such thatthe optically encoded data may be retrieved using said optical method.In one example, the polarity of the illumination light may be variedsuch that different layers of the composite 188 are illuminated. One ormore layers of the composite 188 may be configured to transmit light ofa first polarity while reflecting light of a second polarity.Specifically, the polarity of the illumination light having varyingintensities and/or frequencies may be varied such that different layersof the graphic 190 are illuminated. One or more layers of the graphic190 may be configured to transmit light of a first polarity whilereflecting light of a second polarity. In another example, the frequencyof light may be varied such that different layers of the composite 188are illuminated. One or more layers of the composite 188 may beconfigured to transmit light of a first frequency while reflecting lightof a second frequency. In still another example, the wavelength of theillumination light may be varied to illuminate different layers of thecomposite. One or more layers of the composite 188 may be configured totransmit light of a first wavelength while reflecting light of a secondwavelength. In yet another example, illumination light having multiplewavelengths, where multiple wavelengths include wavelength that may varysequentially, may be configured to illuminate different layers of thecomposite 188. One or more layers of the composite 188 may be configuredto transmit light having a first portion of the multiple wavelengthswhile reflecting light having a second portion of the multiplewavelengths. In still yet another example, illumination light havingmultiple wavelengths and varying intensity and/or frequencies and may beused for illuminating the different layers of the composite 188. One ofmore layers of the composite 188 may be configured to transmit light ofa first portion of the multiple wavelengths, a first intensity and/or afirst frequency, while reflecting a second portion of the multiplewavelengths, a second intensity and/or a second frequency.

In addition, while the method 400 is described in the context ofilluminating the composite 188 with first and second intensities, thecomposite 188 may be illuminated with any number of differentintensities of light such that any number of layers of the composite 188are illuminated and may reflect optically encoded data back to thedetector 174. Similarly, the composite 188 may be illuminated withillumination having a plurality of polarities, frequencies andwavelengths such that any number of layers of the composite 188 may beilluminated and reflect optically encoded data back to the detector 174.

Alternatively to, or in combination with, the method 400, a method 500may be used to illuminate the different layers of the composite 188illustrated by lines A through G in FIG. 8 using light having first andsecond wavelengths, with the second wavelength being different from thefirst. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the method starts at 502 byilluminating the composite 188 with light having a first wavelength. Atleast a portion of the first wavelength light reflected by the composite188 may be detected by the detector 174 at 504. At 506 the illuminationsource 172 may illuminate the composite 188 with light having a secondwavelength, which is different than the first wavelength. At least aportion of the second wavelength light reflected by the composite 188may be detected by the detector 174 at 508. The first and secondwavelength light may have the same or different intensities.

The method 500 may be used at 302 and 304 of the method 300 illustratedin FIG. 6 and may also be optionally combined with the method 400 ofFIG. 7. Alternatively, the method 500 may be initiated independently ofthe methods 300 and 400.

The materials of the composite 188 may be configured such that one ormore layers of the composite 188 are capable of reflecting at least aportion of the first wavelength light while transmitting all or most ofthe second wavelength of light to one or more other layers of thecomposite 188. For example, referring again to FIG. 8, the firstwavelength light may be used to illuminate the upper portion 198 of thegraphic 190 and the upper portion 198 may be configured so as to reflectat least a portion of the first wavelength light back to the detector174. The upper portion 198 may also be configured to transmit the secondwavelength light such that at least some of the second wavelength lightis not reflected by the upper portion 198, but transmitted through thecomposite 188 to one of the internal layers of the composite 188 asillustrated by lines B through G of FIG. 8. For example, the composite188 may be configured such that light having a wavelength correspondingto red light is primarily reflected by the upper portion 198 of thegraphic 190 and light having a wavelength corresponding to green lightis transmitted through the upper portion 198 to any of the internallayers of the composite 188 where it may be reflected back to thedetector 174.

The composite 188 is configured such that the reflectance of thedifferent layers of the composite at different wavelengths of light maybe used to optically code data related to at least one characteristic ofthe resource 184 in a manner similar to that described above for themethod 400 illustrated in FIG. 7. The reflectance from the composite188, either of the first and second intensity light detected at 404 and408 of the method 400 illustrated in FIG. 6 or the first and secondwavelengths of light detected at 504 and 508 of the method 500illustrated in FIG. 9, may be used to determine an output that may beused by the controller 114 to determine at least one characteristic ofthe physical resource 184 at 306 of the method 300 illustrated in FIG.6.

For example, the controller 114 may include a coding matrix that relatesthe output of the reflectance readings from the detector 174 to at leastone characteristic of the resource 184. The output may be a function ofthe reflectance detected by the detector 174 when the composite 188 isilluminated with first and second intensities and/or first and secondwavelengths of light. The output may then be used by the controller 114to determine at least one characteristic, non-limiting examples of whichinclude: information indicative of a cycle of operation, one or moreoperating parameters of a cycle of operation, an amount to dispense, atime to dispense and a number of times to dispense a physical resource,a presence or absence of a physical resource, a presence or absence of aremovable component associated with the physical resource, such as acontainer for storing a physical resource and/or a filter such as awater or resource filter, a characteristic indicative of a quantity ofthe physical resource, examples of which include the number of dosesremaining, the number of doses dispensed and an amount of the physicalresource, identification of the physical resource, a property of thephysical resource and an authentication key.

In one example, the output may be a function of the difference in thelight reflected from the composite 188 when illuminated with the firstlight and the second light having first and second intensities and/orwavelengths. Alternatively, the output may be a function of the absenceof reflection, the absence of a predetermined amount of reflectionand/or the absence of reflection at a predetermined wavelength from thecomposite 188 when illuminated with the first light and the secondlight. In another example, the output may be a function of the presenceof an unexpected reflectance during illumination by the illuminationsource 172.

When only a first light and a second light having first and secondintensities and/or wavelengths is used, the composite 188 may opticallyencode two data bits that both may be used to encode for at least onecharacteristic of the physical resource. Alternatively, one data bit maybe used to characterize the physical resource and the second data bitmay be used as authorization for use of the physical resource in thephysical resource consuming apparatus, for example. Additional data bitsmay be achieved by optically encoding additional data into the compositethat may be retrieved by illuminating the composite 188 with lighthaving additional intensities and/or wavelengths. In another embodiment,the identification may not include two bits of data. For example, thelight could be focused such that a first light having a single intensityand/or wavelength may read a first bar code on the top layer of thecomposite 188 and then a second light having a second intensity and/orwavelength may read a second bar code on an interior layer of thecomposite 188, where the composite 188 may contain multiple reflectancesfrom codes, and codes may be limited in size and/or space.

In another example, the number of doses of the physical resourceremaining and/or used may be determined as a function of theillumination reflected from the physical resource 184. In the embodimentwhere the physical resource comprises a liquid or gel stored within acontainer 165, the location of the detector 174 relative to the physicalresource 184 may be configured such that as the physical resource 184 isconsumed, the distance between the detector 174 and the surface of thephysical resource 184 increases. As the distance between the detector174 and the surface of the physical resource 184 increases, theintensity of the light reflected back to the detector 174 from thephysical resource 184 decreases. The controller 114 may then beprogrammed to determine the number of doses remaining and/or used as afunction of the change in reflectance from the physical resource 184when the physical resource is illuminated with a light having apredetermined intensity and/or wavelength. The controller 114 may thencommunicate information regarding the status of the physical resource184 with the user through the user interface. This information may alsobe combined with other optically encoded data retrieved from thecomposite 188 to control the operation of the clothes dryer 110.

Alternatively, in another embodiment where the physical resource 184 isin the form of individual discs or pellets that are dispensed by thedispensing system 162, individual discs may have information related tothe number of doses remaining or used optically encoded onto the discsby the composite 188. For example, in an embodiment in which the discsare dispensed sequentially, one or more discs may be optically encodedto indicate to the controller 114 when a predetermined number of dosesis remaining or has been used and the controller 114 may communicatethis information with the user through the user interface.

In another embodiment, the physical resource 184 and/or the container165 may be optically encoded with the total number of doses of thephysical resource 184. The controller 114 may be programmed to determinethe total number of doses of the physical resource 184 from theoptically encoded data and track the number of doses dispensed duringoperation of the clothes dryer 110. Based on the total number of dosesdetermined from the optically encoded data and the number of dosesdispensed, the controller 114 may be programmed to determine the numberof doses remaining and communicate this information with a user. Inanother example, the controller 114 may be programmed to alert the userwhen all of the doses have been dispensed and no more doses remain ornot enough of the physical resource remains to dispense a dose of apredetermined size. The controller 114 may communicate the dosageinformation to the user in any suitable manner, such as visually,through a user interface or other display, or audibly.

The apparatuses and methods described herein may provide a simple andinexpensive solution for encoding information relating to at least onecharacteristic of a physical resource and controlling the operation of aphysical resource consuming apparatus as function of the encodedinformation. The encoded information may provide the physical resourceconsuming apparatus with improved performance during a cycle ofoperation. The encoded information may be used by the apparatus tocontrol the operation of the apparatus such that the physical resourceis used by the apparatus in the manner in which it was designed toachieve optimal or desired results. The encoded information may also beused to prevent the use of unauthorized or incompatible physicalresources.

To the extent not already described, the different features andstructures of the various embodiments may be used in combination witheach other as desired. That one feature may not be illustrated in all ofthe embodiments is not meant to be construed that it cannot be, but isdone for brevity of description. Thus, the various features of thedifferent embodiments may be mixed and matched as desired to form newembodiments, whether or not the new embodiments are expressly described.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variationand modification are possible within the scope of the forgoingdisclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of theinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A removable component for dispensing a physical resource from a dispensing system, the removable component comprising: a body defining a reservoir in which a physical resource may be stored; a graphic provided on the removable component; and a composite structure formed by the graphic, body, and reservoir and having first and second optically encoded patterns at first and second depths, respectively, in the composite structure, with the second depth being different than the first depth.
 2. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the second depth is greater than the first depth.
 3. The removable component of claim 2 wherein the first depth is at a surface of the graphic.
 4. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the second depth is at a surface of the body.
 5. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the second depth is at an interior of the graphic.
 6. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the graphic comprises a label.
 7. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the graphic comprises a substrate on which there is printed indicia.
 8. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the composite structure comprises a plurality of layers.
 9. The removable component of claim 8 wherein at least one of the plurality of layers has at least one of a thickness, a texture, a color, a refractivity, a reflectivity, an absorbance, a transmittance, an index of refraction and an optical polarity that is different than at least one other of the plurality of layers.
 10. The removable component of claim 1 wherein the first optically encoded pattern is retrievable by illuminating the first depth at a first wavelength and the second optically encoded pattern is retrievable by illuminating the second depth at a second wavelength, with the second wavelength being different than the first wavelength.
 11. The removable component of claim 1 further comprising a physical resource processor provided in the reservoir.
 12. The removable component of claim 11 wherein the physical resource processor comprises filter material.
 13. The removable component of claim 12 wherein the composite structure further comprises at least a portion of the filter material.
 14. The removable component of claim 11 wherein the physical resource processor further comprises a physical resource. 